This article is part of our FanDuel MLB series.
FanDuel has a 15-game slate for Major League Baseball (MLB) on Friday. We have also hit the two-month mark of the season and there are a lot of injuries and lineup shuffling to contend with, so make sure to check the injury reports here at Rotowire as well. The lineups page is a good way to see who is getting more playing time or a better placement in the batting order due to guys being injured, rested or just flat out benched. There's also some weather concerns with the Padres-Reds and Marlins-Rockies games. Here are some of the plays to keep an eye on for Friday:Starting Pitcher
Jake Odorizzi ($8,600)
Friday is a pretty ugly slate for pitching. There are only two or three guys who even warrant consideration and Odorizzi has the best combination of matchup and price. He faces a Mariners team that is second-to-last in batting average against right-handed pitching and now has the second-most strikeouts against right-handers. They have the third worst strikeout percentage at 23.5 percent, so this looks like a soft spot for Odorizzi. He tends to go about six or seven innings per start and averages just shy of a strikeout per inning. If he can repeat those recent numbers, and limit the damage to two runs or less, he can return two points per $1,000 of cost and be one of the best starts on the day.
Catcher
Jonathan Lucroy ($2,800)
One thing that stands out when looking at catcher is how many of them are currently injured. Guys like Stephen Vogt, Victor Martinez, Brian McCann and Wilson Ramos have all been recommended here in the past and all of them are out for a few games. One guy who was out and has returned is Lucroy, who is someone many DFS players used often last season. He is a high average guy who usually bats in either the two or three spot in the order. It's better to use him when he has Ryan Braun and Carlos Gomez batting around him for protection, but even without that, he should have prime lineup real estate in a decent matchup. Catcher is almost as ugly as starting pitcher, and Lucroy is still underpriced coming off his recent injury.
First Base
Mark Teixeira ($3,800)
Any DFS player who is being honest with themselves will tell you that they have probably not used Teixeira more than two or three times this season. However, he has a five-game hitting streak when he is averaging over 4.33 fantasy points per game and is toward the top of the majors with 16 home runs. He gets a matchup with Jared Weaver, who has been solid, but no longer has the overpowering stuff that Tex has struggled against this season. Throw in the fact the game will be played in a hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium and you've got a recipe for another outperformance at low ownership.
Second Base
Ben Zobrist ($3,000)
Zobrist loves hitting left-handed pitching (.340 batting average last year) and has a good matchup with a weak Wade Miley on Friday. At a $3,000 price tag, it is a tough decision between him and Logan Forsythe as the value play, since both guys are hitting toward the top of the order, both do well against the handedness of the pitcher they'll face, and both have had some outsized returns lately for a cheap price. Zobrist from the right side in Boston and against Miley seems to make more sense than Forsythe against a better pitcher in J.A. Happ and in a worse park in Seattle.
Third Base
Evan Longoria ($3,100)
Longoria is another guy who loves hitting lefties. He is currently hitting .298 against them this year and is over .300 cumulatively since 2012. He gets a matchup with J.A. Happ, who has struggled more with right-handed hitters. Longoria should remain in the three spot of the order and his entire team is better against left=handed pitching, so they are a sneaky group of bats to stack. The ballpark is not ideal, but at the low asking price, it's ok to accept a few warts.
Shortstop
Troy Tulowitzki ($4,800)
It was only a matter of time before Tulowitzki broke out of his slump, and he did so with an exclamation point. Tulo is now 10 for his last 20 during this five-game run, including four home runs, 10 RBI, seven runs scored and a few walks. He is averaging just shy of eight fantasy points per game and the only concern here is the weather. If this game goes, you really need to have some exposure to the top priced shortstop because no one else at the position can do what Tulowitzki does on a regular basis. When he is hot like he is now, very few players at any position can match his production.
Outfield
Gerardo Parra ($2,500)
In order to fit Tulo, you need to find a few cheap options and Parra is one the guys who makes sense. He has been batting in the two hole for the Brewers with Ryan Braun (thumb) out, and he has a good combination of price and matchup. Kyle Gibson is usually tougher on right-handed bats, though his numbers this year do not show that. Historically though, it has been left-handers like Parra who do the most damage. Parra and Adam Lind are really the only two left-handed sticks that the Brewers roll out on a regular basis, and Parra is fresh off a huge breakout game where he was 4-for-5 with a home run. The Brewers are another team that makes for an under-the-radar tournament stack, but Parra can also be used as a standalone play for some salary relief.
Jose Bautista ($4,700)
FanDuel seems to have really increased prices on some of the top outfield bats. That should not scare you away from them all, but it likely means you can only afford one of them if you pay up for a good starting pitcher. The one guy who makes a lot of sense Friday is Bautista, who gets a matchup with Roberto Hernandez in the Rogers Centre. That is a great home-run park and a pitcher who has served them up at an average of one every five innings this year against right-handed batters. Joey Bats currently has an eight-game hitting streak, with most of those hits coming on the road. His numbers should improve at home, as he is normally more dangerous in that park. $4,700 is not cheap, but he has the best combination of recency, matchup and ballpark to be worth it.
Joey Butler ($3,000)
If you do not know about this guy yet, it's time to take notice. The right-hander has been smashing over the last two weeks. He is a minimum-price outfielder who continues to produce outsized returns for his backers. He has hit over .350 in his young career against left-handed pitching and has produced 12 hits in his last 24 at-bats over his last six games, with a scoring average of 5.33 fantasy points per game. He gets the same matchup discussed with Longoria and Forsythe against J.A. Happ, and is one of those guys to include on any team where Rays are being stacked.
